Kaptur wins Ohio Dem primary faceoff with Dennis Kucinich

With his wife Elizabeth at his side, Rep. Dennis Kucinich addresses supporters at Rubin's Restaurant and Deli in Cleveland as the votes are tallied in his race against U.S. Rep. Marcy Kaptur. (March 6, 2012) Photo Credit: AP

Kucinich is an eight-term congressman and two-time presidential candidate from Cleveland known for his quirky style and politically combative flair. Last summer, as Ohio's redistricting process was under way, he had flirted with running for an open House seat in Washington state.

Districts are redrawn every 10 years to reflect population changes in the new census. Ohio's lagging population growth caused the loss of two of its 18 congressional seats.

Whichever party controls a state legislature typically sets redistricting so that incumbents in the majority party are protected and minority party seats are put at risk.

Ohio Republicans drew just four of 16 districts that lean Democratic. The decision to snake a district along the Lake Erie shoreline linking the Democratic strongholds of Cleveland and Toledo resulted in the state's lone intraparty contest between sitting House members.

"I knew full well that redistricting would cause some challenges," Kucinich said early Wednesday. "From the beginning, I realized I was at a disadvantage, but the campaign made every effort to win."